Flag and banner staff



June 6, 1967 WOCLF 7 3,323,486

FLAG AND BANNER STAFF Filed July 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 6, 1967 G. P. WOOLF FLAG AND BANNER STAFF 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 20, 1964 INVENTOR. GEOBGEPM/ZJOLE ,qrf may United States Patent 3,323,486 FLAG AND BANNER STAFF George P. Woolf, 1206-A Haight St., San Francisco, Calif. 94117 Filed July 20, 1964, Ser. No. 383,651 2 Claims. (Cl. 116-173) My present invention relates to an improved flag and banner display means and more particularly to a staff with halyards having specially constructed flag or banner supporting means.

An object of my invention is to provide a flag and banner supporting staff having means by which a flag may be held in a fully extended free turning condition under all conditions of weather.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel flag supporting means for use with a flagst-aff having the conventional halyard by which the fiag will be supported in its extended position when on display and be protected by said means when lowered and furled as required at sunset.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel flag supporting means with a detachable staff-engaging means and a halyard adapted and arranged to support a banner flatwise against the staff as required for example in lodge rooms and conventional halls.

Other objects and advantages will be in part evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out hereinafter in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view showing a flag flown at half mast in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view of a flag flown at full staff,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view showing details of construction,

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view showing the invention as used with a banner,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view showing further details of construction,

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of a portion of the assembly as in FIGURES l and 2, and

FIGURE 7 is a similar enlarged view, looking down on the showing of FIGURE 6.

As shown in the accompanying drawing the numeral 10 designates a vertically extending flagstaff having pulleys 11 and 12 with halyards 13 and 14 passing thereover. The halyard 13 is connected at its lower end to an adjustable flag and banner positioning means 15 that is adapted and arranged to be held at various points of elevation along the staff 10. Removably attached to the flag and banner positioning means 15 there is a flag supporting member 16 which is held in an operative position by means of the halyard 14. The member 16 has a bolt type latch 17 by which it may be disconnected from the flag and banner positioning means 15 for the purpose to be hereinafter explained. A flag 18 is here shown as held by the supporting member 16 and along its bottom there is an additional flag extending member 19 with hook-like means 20 by which when in engagement with projecting pins 21 upon the flag and banner positioning member 15 will cooperate with the flag supporting member 16 and form a protective enclosure for the flag 18 when furled.

In FIGURE 2 of the drawing the flag 18 is shown as extended into full view by the supporting member 16 and with the flag and banner supporting member 15 at the top of the staff 10, and in FIGURE 3, the flag supporting member 16 is shown as in a collapsed position with the flag extending member 19 omitted.

As shown in FIGURE 4, when the flag and banner supporting member 16 is detached from the flag and banner positioning means 15 it is adapted and arranged by virtue of a spreader or bracket 22 to hang level and crosswise the staff 10.

In FIGURE 5 there is shown a particular form in which the adjustable flag and banner supporting member 15 may be constructed. In this showing the flag positioning member 15 consists of two pivotally connected parts with arms 23 and 24 which are operated by a spring hinge 25 to clamp the pivotally connected parts of the arms 23 and 24 upon the staff 10 when released. As here shown the arms 23 and 24 are held open by a spreader 26 of flexible material which has a pull-cord 27 by which it may be withdrawn from between the clamping arms 23 and 24 and thus fix the member 15 upon the staff when the banner supporting member 15 has been raised to the desired point along the staff 10.

In FIGURES 6 and 7 the banner or flag supporting member 15 and its associated parts are shown enlarged and in more detail. The supporting member 15 has a radially projecting plate 28 that has an eyelet 29 for the halyard 13 and outwardly this plate has oppositely extending stubs or pins 30 that are engaged by spaced and inverted hook-like ears 31 which project from the end of the flag or banner supporting member 16. Cooperating with these hook-like ears 31, the latch 17 has a bifurcated bolt 32 which, when extended as shown in FIGURE 6, will secure the banner or flag supporting member 16 to the staff engaging support 15. Then with the flag supporting member 16 thus secured to the staff engaging support 15, the flag may be raised and lowered along the staff by the halyard 13 by simply spreading the arms 23 and 24 with the spreader 26 as indicated above.

When the banner supporting member 16 is disconnected from the projecting stubs or pins 30 on flag or banner supporting member 16, the flag or banner sup porting member 16 will be supported by the halyard 14. This will permit the support 16 to assume a position substantially tangent to the staff 10 as would be the case in the event of a banner as shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawings.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose my invention so that the same: can be readily understood, described and illustrated a specific form and arrangement, I desire to have it understood that this inventi-on is not limited to the specific form disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a flag and banner supporting device, the combination of a flagstaff having first and second halyard accommodating pulleys at the top thereof, a flag and banner positioning member encircling said staff and movable to various positions of elevation along said flagstaff, a flag and banner supporting member detachably secured at one end to said banner positioning member, a first halyard attached at one end to said flag and banner positioning member passing over said first pulley at the top of said staff for moving said flag and banner positioning member along said flagstaff, a second halyard passing over said second pulley at the top of said flagstaif and connected at one end to said flag and banner supporting member intermediate the ends of said flag and banner supporting member, whereby a flag may be supported in one position radially with respect to the flagstaff at various elevations by said first and second halyards When said flag and banner supporting member is attached to said flag and banner positioning member and in banner-like position tangent to axis of said flagstafi by said second halyard alone When flag and banner supporting member is detached from said flag and banner positioning member.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 characterized by the fact that said flag and banner positioning member is in the form of a hinged spring clamp With opposed semicircular flagstatf engaging parts that are held out of engagement With the fiagstaff by a spreading means at the ends thereof which when removed will permit the 4 semicircular portions of the clamp to engage the flagstaff.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 205,629 7/1878 Gederen 114-107 975,114 11/1910 Bland 116174 1,337,237 4/1920 Light 116-173 1,642,716 9/1927 Bentzen 114-102 1,680,703 8/1928 Sullivan 116173 FOREIGN PATENTS 151,123 9/1920 Germany.

63,529 7/1892 Great Britain.

LOUIS J CAPOZI, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A FLAG AND BANNER SUPPORTING DEVICE, THE COMBINATION OF A FLAGSTAFF HAVING FIRST AND SECOND HALYARD ACCOMMODATING PULLEYS AT THE TOP THEREOF, A FLAG AND BANNER POSITIONING MEMBER ENCIRCLING SAID STAFF AND MOVABLE TO VARIOUS POSITIONS OF ELEVATION ALONG SAID FLAGSTAFF, A FLAG AND BANNER SUPPORTING MEMBER DETACHABLY SECURED AT ONE END TO SAID BANNER POSITIONING MEMBER, A FIRST HALYARD ATTACHED AT ONE END TO SAID FLAG AND BANNER POSITIONING MEMBER PASSING OVER SAID FIRST PULLEY AT THE TOP OF SAID STAFF FOR MOVING SAID FLAG AND BANNER POSITIONING MEMBER ALONG SAID FLAGSTAFF, A SECOND HALYARD PASSING OVER SAID SECOND PULLEY AT THE TOP OF SAID FLAGSTAFF AND CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID FLAG AND BANNER SUPPORTING MEMBER INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID FLAG AND BANNER SUPPORTING MEMBER, WHEREBY A FLAG MAY BE SUPPORTED IN ONE POSITION RADIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE FLAGSTAFF AT VARIOUS ELEVATIONS BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND HALYARDS WHEN SAID FLAG AND BANNER SUPPORTING MEMBER IS ATTACHED TO SAID FLAG AND BANNER POSITIONING MEMBER AND IN BANNER-LIKE POSITION TANGENT TO AXIS OF SAID FLAGSTAFF BY SAID SECOND HALYARD ALONE WHEN FLAG AND BANNER SUPPORTING MEMBER IS DETACHED FROM SAID FLAG AND BANNER POSITIONING MEMBER. 